A PACKET OF CRISPS
When anyone goes camping in the wild, a campfire will inevitably be lit. The campfire provides light, warmth, heating (for cooking), a beacon (in case we get lost), and is useful in keeping predators and insects at bay.
Before we embark on a camping expedition, it is important to plan what we need to take with us. We might think of warm clothes, sleeping bag, torch, matches, etc., but would we think of including a packet of crisps?
When we are at home, we view a packet of crisps as a light snack between meals. But many campers “think outside of the box” and take a packet of crisps with them, not as a potential snack, but as an alternative to kindling for starting a campfire. Dry kindling may be difficult to source, especially when there has been recent wet weather, and hence a smart camper will take his/ her own. Apparently, the high fat content within crisps will permit a burning time of 2 – 3 minutes, depending on the brand, and this is sufficient to help start a campfire.
How do we view the word of God? Do we only see God’s word for our own personal benefit, much like a packet of crisps, or do we “think outside of the box” as to its wider use in social contexts? The word of God is a fire:
Let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:28, 29)
God prophesies through Jeremiah that those who have His word should speak it faithfully, because His word is like fire. James reminds us that the tongue is like a fire that can set a whole forest on fire by a single spark (James 3:5). Why? Because there is great potential in words, both negatively and positively. Will we use God’s word as kindling to spiritually set alight someone we meet today?
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
